Charlottetown cruise ship visits down in 2016

The last of the cruise ships has come and gone from the Charlottetown Harbour for 2016 season.

There were 57 ship visits this year that brought 66,500 passengers and 30,900 crew to the city, according to Port Charlottetown.

That is down from 2015, when Charlottetown hosted 73 ships.

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Corryn Clemence, business development manager for the port, said the decrease was expected because of itinerary changes from the cruise lines.

Those itineraries are expected to shift again, she said, and the port is expecting a record-breaking year in 2017. The 2017 cruise schedule, which includes the first ever call from Disney Cruise Lines, will be released in the coming weeks, she said.

The Veendam, with 1,350 passengers and 580 crew, made the most stops in Charlottetown this year with 20.

3,080 passengers on Caribbean Princess

The biggest ship to visit the port was the Caribbean Princess with 3,080 passengers and 1,200 crew.

There were four days in the fall when three ships were in the harbour at once.

• Three cruise ships in Charlottetown Harbour

Les Parsons, CEO of Port Charlottetown said statistics provided by tour operators show approximately 50 per cent of all passengers took pre-booked shore excursions, which travel all across the island.

Island products showcased

Clemence said a variety of Island products were purchased by the cruise lines that were served onboard.

"This has been a great opportunity to get our world-class Island product such as seafood, local dairy products and potatoes showcased in a unique environment to a captive audience," she said in a statement.

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